Blog
The SADC Tribunal Saga continues before the South African Courts
Gerhard Erasmus
07 Feb 2018
An unprecedented application has been set down for hearing, by the High Court in Pretoria, on 5-7 February 2018. The Court is asked to declare President Zuma’s support of the suspension ... read more 
A Letter to Mr. Ramaphosa: South Africa in Africa
Trudi Hartzenberg, Gerhard Erasmus
02 Feb 2018
The election of Mr. Ramaphosa as ANC leader has caused a flurry of optimistic expectations at home and abroad. South Africans (and others) are eager for good news. Mr. Zuma’s presidency ... read more 
The 30th AU Summit adopts decisions key to advancing Africa’s economic integration agenda
Talkmore Chidede
01 Feb 2018
From 22 to 29 January 2018, the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for the 30th Ordinary Session of the AU Summit. The 30th AU Summit took p... read more 
International arbitration legislation now in force – Implications for South Africa and cross-border businesses
Talkmore Chidede
01 Feb 2018
The long-awaited South African international arbitration legislation is now in force.[1] The International Arbitration Act 15 of 2017 (International Arbitration Act) was passed by the Nati... read more 
Competition policy as an instrument for economic transformation – a careful balancing act
Willemien Viljoen
25 Jan 2018
On 1 December 2017 the Competition Amendment Bill, 2017 was published for public comments (click here to download). According to the Economic Development Minister, Ebrahim Patel, the Bill ... read more 
Cumulation provisions in the SADC EPA
Eckart Naumann
25 Jan 2018
Earlier this week, visiting officials from the European Commission provided insight at a Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) workshop into the cumulation provisions contained in the SADC-EU... read more 
Zimbabwean government issues investment guidelines
Talkmore Chidede
25 Jan 2018
The new Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) under President Munangagwa’s administration is determined to attract private investment as a vehicle for advancing economic recovery. It recognises t... read more 
A tralac Perspective on the bigger picture for 2018
Trudi Hartzenberg
19 Jan 2018
The Trade Law Centre (tralac) monitors integration, trade and governance in Africa. The fact that developments in Southern and Eastern Africa are more frequently covered does not mean that... read more 
An Opportunity for South Africa to pursue new regional Policies?
Gerhard Erasmus
19 Jan 2018
South Africa is in the midst of a political battle. At the end of 2017 the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), elected Cyril Ramaphosa as its new leader, after a hotly conte... read more 
Africa and the WTO’s E-Commerce Agenda
Ashly Hope (Volunteer), Puseletso Sauli (intern)
19 Jan 2018
The growth in telecommunications capability across the world has made trade possible through electronic means (cross-border e-commerce). Research from eMarketer shows that global e‑comme... read more 
2017 in trade – green shoots in Africa?
Ashly Hope (Volunteer)
15 Dec 2017
While globally protectionist sentiment and economic nationalism continue to rattle the multilateral trading system, here on the continent, even amongst serious political upheavals, we are ... read more 
The Appellate Body Crisis
Gerhard Erasmus
15 Dec 2017
The dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO has been a major innovation in international dispute settlement. It is often referred to as the jewel in the crown of the WTO system. It might b... read more 
Africa must industrialise
Talkmore Chidede
06 Dec 2017
Industrialisation is part of the process of economic transformation – expanding and diversifying the productive base of the economy (creating more and different kinds of value addition a... read more 
From the TDCA to the SADC-EU EPA – the significant changes
Willemien Viljoen
06 Dec 2017
The Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement (TDCA) has been governing the trading relationship between South Africa and the European Union since it entered into force (provisionally s... read more 
Safeguard measures in the SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement
Willemien Viljoen
06 Dec 2017
Safeguard measures are a temporary restriction, of fairly traded products, to protect a specific domestic industry from a sudden increase in imports which causes serious injury to the dome... read more 
Export opportunities for South African producers under the new market access conditions in the SADC-EU EPA
Willemien Viljoen
06 Dec 2017
The new market access provisions of the SADC-EU EPA came into effect on 1 November 2016 after two conditions were met: ratification of the EPA by the SACU member states and the bilateral e... read more 
Preparing for Buenos Aires, can the WTO Deliver on Nairobi Promises?
30 Nov 2017
In December 2017, the 164 member states of the World Trade Organization (WTO) will convene the 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is the first time this bi... read more